Experimental Duo Ecstatica Covers the Grateful Dead

As long-time musical collaborators and members of Wall Street Dead aHead NetworkingEvents®, NYC-area duo Drew Moss and Erik Rabasca have taken their project Ecstatica “on the bus” to create Fragile Thunder a collection of adventurous and inspired Grateful Dead covers.

In tackling some of the legendary band’s most beloved material, Ecstatica brings a bold, creative energy and fresh perspective to “Dark Star,” “Eyes of the World,” “Crazy Fingers” and others. The material was recorded at Rabasca’s Highest Frequency Records studio in Stamford, CT in 2018 and early 2019.

“We plucked different, sounds, feels, and licks from across the entire spectrum of Deadness to arrive at our own interpretations,” said Moss. “We had a hoot exploring different shows, time periods and arrangements then running them through our own filter to arrive at something fresh and exciting, all while still honoring the greatness that is the Grateful Dead.”

The tracks differ in their instrumentation, vibe and approach, but what shines through

consistently is Ecstatica’s penchant for passionate playing and sophisticated post production, which brings so many of their nuanced musical quirks shining brightly to the surface, while always keeping their performance firmly rooted in the “now.”

It’s that blend of organic spontaneity and pursuit of perfection that makes this experimental duo such a great match for the magic that lies embedded in the most exploratory aspects of the Grateful Dead’s canon.